ARC Raiders: How to Upgrade Gunsmith to Level 3 (Complete Guide)
Stop sitting on a pile of rare and epic blueprints you can't use. Here's exactly where to farm every material you need to push your Gunsmith from Level 2 to Level 3 — fast.
— Gunsmith —
Why Upgrading Gunsmith to Level 3 Matters
If you've been playing ARC Raiders for any length of time, you've probably already stacked up a collection of rare and epic blueprints that you simply can't use yet. That bottleneck has one cause: your Gunsmith is still sitting at Level 2.
Unlocking Gunsmith Level 3 is one of the most impactful base upgrades you can make in the entire game. Once it's done, all of those rare and epic blueprints become available to craft — opening up a whole new tier of weapons, gear, and loadout options that fundamentally change how you play.
The catch? The upgrade requires three specific materials, two of which can feel frustratingly rare until you know exactly where to look. This guide walks you through every material, every location, and every farming tip so you can get this upgrade done in as few runs as possible.
What You Need to Upgrade Gunsmith from Level 2 to Level 3
Before heading out, make sure you know exactly what you're farming for. Here's the full shopping list:
| Material | Quantity Required |
|---|---|
| Rusted Gear | x3 |
| Advanced Mechanical Components | x5 |
| Sentinel Firing Core | x4 |
Three materials, three different farming spots. Let's break each one down.
Material #1: Advanced Mechanical Components
How many you need: 5
Good news first — Advanced Mechanical Components are the most accessible of the three materials. They show up relatively often once you know where to look, and you can stack them across runs without too much trouble.
Best Location: Building Six (Blue Gate Area)
Head to Building Six, located just inside the blue gate on the map. The specific spot you're looking for is the area between the outer gates and the gate control center — there's a door there that leads into the building interior.
Once inside, you'll find a cluster of rustic (old, abandoned) cars. These vehicles are your primary loot targets for Advanced Mechanical Components. Loot everything in sight — the density of cars in this area makes it one of the most efficient farming zones for this material in the game.
Bonus: This same area also drops Rusted Gear (the second material on your list), making it a two-for-one farming stop. You may not find as many Rusted Gear pieces here compared to other spots, but it's worth looting everything while you're already there.
Map Reference
On the in-game map, the Building Six entrance between the outer gates and gate control is clearly marked. There's both an upper ground and underground section — the car cluster is accessible from ground level through the door.
Farming tip: Advanced Mechanical Components aren't particularly rare, so if you're having a bad run at Building Six, don't panic. They can appear in other locations with rustic vehicles scattered around the map. Building Six is just the most consistently reliable spot.
Material #2: Rusted Gear
How many you need: 3
Rusted Gear is the trickiest of the three materials on paper, but once you have two reliable locations to rotate between, you'll have your three pieces in just a few runs.
Location #1: Building Six (Blue Gate Area)
As mentioned above, the rustic cars in Building Six between the outer gates and gate control can also drop Rusted Gear. It's not the most efficient spot for this material specifically, but since you're already there farming Advanced Mechanical Components, always loot every car and check for Rusted Gear drops at the same time.
Location #2: The Parking Garage in the Buried City (Recommended)
This is the go-to spot for Rusted Gear and is arguably more efficient than Building Six for this specific material. Head to the Buried City and locate the parking garage. Inside, you'll find a large concentration of rusty cars — significantly more than most other zones — and Rusted Gear drops here at a solid rate.
Based on community testing, plan for approximately three runs through the Buried City parking garage to get your three pieces of Rusted Gear. That's a completely manageable grind, especially if you're also clearing other objectives while you're in the area.
Critical Tip: Use Your Safe Pocket
The moment you pick up a piece of Rusted Gear, immediately move it to your safe pocket. This material is too important to risk losing to a death, a disconnect, or an unexpected raider ambush. The same rule applies to every other material on this list — safe pocket it, then extract cleanly. There's no reason to gamble with upgrade materials.
Material #3: Sentinel Firing Cores
How many you need: 4
Sentinel Firing Cores are the most involved material to farm because they require you to actually hunt down and defeat Sentinel enemies rather than just looting containers. Once you know the spawn locations and the easiest methods to take them out safely, though, this becomes very manageable.
Where Sentinels Spawn: The Dam
All three Sentinel spawn points are located at the Dam. Specifically:
- Near the Research Administration Building — One Sentinel spawns in this area.
- By the Floodgates — A second spawn point sits here on top of the dam structure.
- By the Piping Towers on top of the Dam Floodgates — The third spawn is here.
These three spots are all within the same general zone, which makes farming all four Firing Cores (remember, you need four total across three possible spawns, so plan to run this area multiple times) efficient once you've got the route memorized.
Best Time to Farm Sentinels: Nighttime
If you arrive at the Dam during nighttime in-game, there's a strong chance all three Sentinels will be active and ready to loot. Daytime runs are still viable, but some Sentinels may have already been cleared by other players. Nighttime is the optimal window if you want the best odds of finding all three spawns active in a single run.
If you arrive and a Sentinel isn't there, it either wasn't part of that session's spawn or another player already got to it. Don't waste time waiting — grab what's available and run it again next session.
How to Kill Sentinels Without Taking Damage
— Sentinel —
Taking on Sentinels is where a lot of players lose their Firing Cores or die trying to retrieve them. Here are the two methods you need to know, broken down by spawn location.
Method 1: The Northern Spawn (Easiest — Melee Only)
The northernmost Sentinel spawn on the Dam is the most accessible and safest to clear. Walk up to it and simply hit it with your melee weapon.
Here's the trick: the Sentinel will spin and try to knock you off balance while also attempting to shoot you at range. To counter this, jump over the barrel as it spins, keep swinging your melee, and you'll deal consistent damage without taking any hits. Done correctly, you can take this Sentinel out without receiving a single point of damage.
Loot it immediately, move the Firing Core to your safe pocket, and move on.
Method 2: The Dam Control Center Spawn (Medium Difficulty)
The second Sentinel, located on top of the dam control center, requires a slightly different approach. The recommended method here is to hug the side of the wall near the Sentinel and use ranged fire to take it out from cover.
You can attempt a melee approach on this one too — it's technically possible — but be aware that:
- You'll be more exposed to other raiders who might spot you
- Falling from the elevated position can deal massive fall damage (potentially taking out most of your health in one drop)
For this reason, ranged is safer. Take your time, use cover, and don't rush it.
Method 3: The Research Building Spawn (Skip If Possible)
The third spawn near the Research Administration Building is the most problematic — not because the Sentinel itself is harder, but because the Firing Core consistently falls to the ground upon death and becomes difficult to locate. Multiple attempts have resulted in the loot seemingly vanishing after hitting the ground.
Unless you've had consistent luck here personally, prioritize the two dam top spawns and farm those over multiple runs rather than spending extra time hunting for fallen loot at the Research Building spawn.
Efficient Farming Route: Step-by-Step
Here's the most time-efficient run order to collect all your materials:
Step 1 — Start at Building Six (Blue Gate)
- Farm the rustic cars for Advanced Mechanical Components
- Pick up any Rusted Gear that drops
- Safe pocket everything, then extract or continue
Step 2 — Hit the Buried City Parking Garage
- Focus on Rusted Gear here — there are more rustic cars per square meter than almost anywhere else
- Safe pocket Rusted Gear immediately upon picking it up
- Repeat this run up to three times until you have all three pieces
Step 3 — Run the Dam at Night
- Head to the Dam during nighttime for the best chance of all three Sentinels being active
- Clear the northern spawn first using the jump-melee method (zero damage taken)
- Clear the dam control center spawn from cover using ranged
- Skip or attempt the Research Building spawn based on your comfort level
- Repeat runs until you have all four Sentinel Firing Cores
Step 4 — Upgrade Once you have all three materials:
- 3x Rusted Gear
- 5x Advanced Mechanical Components
- 4x Sentinel Firing Core
Head back to your base and apply the upgrade to push your Gunsmith from Level 2 to Level 3.
What Unlocks After Gunsmith Level 3?
This is the payoff. After upgrading, you'll finally be able to put all those blueprints sitting in your stash to use. Gunsmith Level 3 unlocks crafting access to rare and epic tier blueprints — the weapons and gear that make a real difference in both PvP engagements and ARC encounters.
If you've been holding back on certain loadout experiments because you couldn't craft what you needed, that wall is now gone. Get in, build what you've been theorycrafting, and get back out there.
Quick Reference: Gunsmith Level 3 Upgrade Cheat Sheet
| Material | Amount Needed | Best Farming Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Mechanical Components | x5 | Building Six, between outer gates & gate control | Rustic cars inside the building |
| Rusted Gear | x3 | Buried City Parking Garage | ~3 runs average; also drops at Building Six |
| Sentinel Firing Core | x4 | The Dam (3 spawn points) | Farm at nighttime for best spawn rates; melee the north spawn |
Final Tips Before You Head Out
- Always safe pocket upgrade materials the moment you pick them up. Losing a Sentinel Firing Core to a death is a painful setback that's completely avoidable.
- Run the Dam at night to maximize how many active Sentinel spawns you'll find in a single session.
- Double up your Building Six runs — since it drops both Advanced Mechanical Components and Rusted Gear, it's the best two-in-one farming stop on this entire list.
- Don't stress the third Sentinel spawn near the Research Building unless you can reliably recover the loot. The two dam-top spawns are enough to get your four cores; it just takes an extra run.
Now get out there, gear up, and get that Gunsmith to Level 3. Your epic blueprints have been waiting long enough.
Guide based on community testing and in-game exploration. Drop your own farming tips in the comments — especially if you've found a faster route for Rusted Gear!